Random Acts of Kindness Day is Feb 17th. However all throughout the year, we come across heart-felt videos, photos & stories of people who go above & beyond to help those in need. Now for majority of us, this can be overwhelming. We may not think that we have enough energy, goodness or time to go out and do great things. The truth is, its not the size of your giving that matters – but the quality. Our spokesperson, Naomi Cowan – has handpicked a few everyday products & brands you can feel good about purchasing. Thankfully, there are a significant number of companies & brands who support social causes & charitable organizations.

No worries if you’re not the next Bill Gates. You can make a difference with the everyday products you buy. Here’s Naomi’s picks for this week.

Are we the only ones who noticed that during the week of January 1st our neighbourhood streets were filled with joggers & walkers? No matter what the weather condition, folks were determined to start the year strong, going after their fitness goals. All post-holiday conversations entailed what our friends aimed to accomplish during the first quarter of the year; everything from going out on more dates to maybe starting a DIY project. Unfortunately statistics and studies show that around mid-February, you’ll see a huge decline in gym memberships. Check-ins on Facebook to facilities with “gym” or “fitness” in the name drop 10% in February, according to two years of Facebook data (WSJ). Psychologists find that resolutions are not exactly the best motivator. Professor of Psychology at Carleton University, Timothy Pychyl finds that resolutions are an effort to reinvent oneself, a form of “cultural procrastination”. Majority of us aren’t ready to change our habits (especially the bad habits) and this leads us to high failure rate.

Now while all this information may not exactly be the most positive, it causes us to realize4 that mayve sometimes we’re setting unrealistic expectations and goals for ourselves.

Not to worry, we don’t think its absolutely impossible to achieve your new year’s resolutions. We want to help you make 2016 the Year of Completion – aka Get Stuff Done.

Tidy things up & write things down!

When it comes to establishing & tracking your goals. We recommend that you write everything down! Sounds crazy but your brain registers items a lot better when you write things down by hand. So write down your to-do lists, goals and all other items related to your resolutions.

“Too many companies want their brands to reflect some idealised, perfected image of themselves. As a consequence, their brands acquire no texture, no character and no public trust..” – Richard Branson

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Jeff Bezos

Use the Sniper not a Shotgun

We agree with Mr Jeff Bezos, not only because he created Amazon but because that’s what our company strives to do each time we work with a client. We create a reputation that leaves a story behind to continue the conversation. When it comes to branding we like to take a Sniper approach. No we’re not planning to remove any political leaders from their esteemed positions (that would be bad timing) but we are hoping to remove the assumption that a brand story can be told with one big execution aka the shotgun (more…)